Dreadfully exceptional?
Phil Jones is the best centre back at the club.
- Thread starter BUGGS
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I was playing football and he was showing up playing too. Although it turned into basketball towards the crowd/wall. The stadium had minimal crowd too and had a weird shape. It was a really messed up dream.What was your dream with Gareth about?
It might have had something with Spurs beating us since it was after that. Why Bale I have no clue about. Maybe cause we didn't get him.
Couldn’t head a ball to save his life, but when he came to us he had all the physical and technical qualities to become an excellent player.
Unfortunately, he never managed to find himself free of injuries. The one season when he could play consistently to some extent, he was our best CB.
If there’s something we can blame him for it’s probably his refusal to play in a more measured way. I remember around 14/15 or so he had an interview where he said that he wouldn’t change his blood and thunder commitment on the pitch even though it leads to injuries.
Unfortunately, he never managed to find himself free of injuries. The one season when he could play consistently to some extent, he was our best CB.
If there’s something we can blame him for it’s probably his refusal to play in a more measured way. I remember around 14/15 or so he had an interview where he said that he wouldn’t change his blood and thunder commitment on the pitch even though it leads to injuries.
Indeed!
Say no more, I'm sold!
Very good point about his style being a problem. He dives in too much and it worked when he was young and fit.
Now he just gets injured or give away goals.
Always has a mistake him, but to be fair, rarely has 2 and didnt cost £80m fecking quid.
Had great potential but his injury record is unreal and turned him into a meme.
Small point worth considering is that he's still managed to play more games in the last 3 seasons than Bailly, who, 2 weeks ago, was very much being put in the 'like a new signing' category.
Had great potential but his injury record is unreal and turned him into a meme.
Small point worth considering is that he's still managed to play more games in the last 3 seasons than Bailly, who, 2 weeks ago, was very much being put in the 'like a new signing' category.
Sure. He just needs to start playing football first.
Who is Phil Jones?
Oh yeah him! naahh.
Oh yeah him! naahh.
Makes you sad?this made me sad
People have meme'd Phil into oblivion but he had so much potential.
Every pass was backwards bar one, out to the right wing sideways, two dribbles that he ran into the first defender and a shot blocked, which he got injured doing so.
I still remember Fergie playing Phil Jones in midfield away to Real Madrid in the Bernabeu.
Phil Jones had many good games for United. Not many recently but some of his earlier performances are forgotten about these days. He was a very good defender on his day but injuries destroyed him. He’d often play 5 or 6 very good games in a row and then get injured for 3 months. He never got that full run of games as CB for a single season. Has to affect your confidence.
Now I just feel a little sad for him because he could drop a level and return to somewhere decent like Johnny Evans if he wasn’t a mixture of injury prone and high wages but instead he’s just stuck wasting away. Such is the modern game.
Now I just feel a little sad for him because he could drop a level and return to somewhere decent like Johnny Evans if he wasn’t a mixture of injury prone and high wages but instead he’s just stuck wasting away. Such is the modern game.
he was class. So much potential at the start. I doubt anyone but Utd fans remember it like that though with all the memes and stuff but his body just can’t hack it. It happens. There’s No shame in it. He’s not going to go somewhere else and get really fit and play lots and His wages are far greater than anyone in a serious competition would be able to take a risk on. If we let him go for free and Paid him off like Sanchez, that’s the only realistic deal left at this stage. Sad stuff. He’s probably a lovely guy too. We shouldn’t have given him his deal though. It’s Probably been the worst contract at the club after Sanchezthis made me sad
People have meme'd Phil into oblivion but he had so much potential.
fergie did what he wanted for sure
he wasn’t bad in that game? I just watched. He was class! Bullying real.
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He was quite promising at the beginning, he wasn’t bad throughout too, not until his injuries, otherwise he could have been our best CB.
I’d say the worst of Jones is still better than the worst of Baily, Lindelof and Maguire, whereas the best of Jones is not any less than any of them.
I’d say the worst of Jones is still better than the worst of Baily, Lindelof and Maguire, whereas the best of Jones is not any less than any of them.
Good point, would hate it if someone came in and bid 50m for him.
A 21-22 year old CB playing out of position. Contrast that video with his condition now and its night and day in terms of confidence and ability. He probably peaked when he joined and its been a downwards spiral since, mainly due to injury.
I think its sad to see someone with high potential not fulfill it and become a laughing stock on social media.
I opened the thread thinking it was a very very very old thread that got bumped.
It’s sad to see what has happened to Jones’s career. But his overall performances were really bad when called upon in recent years. Too shaky and unreliable. The even sadder thing is that maguire, bailly and lindelof are the same, shaky and unreliable....
So probably my thought on this is that though he is not better than the rest, he isn’t worse...
So probably my thought on this is that though he is not better than the rest, he isn’t worse...
He's not even the best defender at his local tennis club
Can't be worse than current options though. Thanks to the great man who actually signed him.
His career is destroyed by his injuries and internet abuse. I read somewhere else saying that he refuse to put in a testimony clause in his latest contract because he thought only his parents would attend. I feel deeply sorry for him
Some truth in that
But very generous of you to ignore huge patches of poor form, reckless play, comedy errors etc.
I know people use this to ridicule Jones, but he literally put his head on the line and prevented a goal. This was great defending. Unfortunately, injuries have put paid to his career ever really taking off.
I still can see the 19 y.o version of him running up and down the RB and playing as a DM. It's a shame indeed, he was one of the best talents. He looked smart and brave.
His best year at the club was his first season. Looked like a talented young player. Quick, tenacious, good ability on the ball and snuffed out danger well. Problem is you always expect players to kick on when you first see them or they are young, it was a bit like Cleverley when he first started playing for us.
Jones has never been a top CB, he's too weak in the air. He always had a mistake in him too, where he did something stupid. Obviously now injuries have affected his dynamism where he's lost a yard of pace.
Jones has never been a top CB, he's too weak in the air. He always had a mistake in him too, where he did something stupid. Obviously now injuries have affected his dynamism where he's lost a yard of pace.
We’ve thought he wouldn’t get a game since 2016, but he always pops up every season to cost us a few games (SU away last season) when we hit the inevitable injury crisis
In short, he’s not the best CB at the club. Neither is the current starters Maguire and Lindelof though. It’s Bailly imo, followed by Smalling when he was still here.
In short, he’s not the best CB at the club. Neither is the current starters Maguire and Lindelof though. It’s Bailly imo, followed by Smalling when he was still here.
I still remember how promising he looked when he had only joined us. I swear, he used to make exactly 1 fantastic run per game all the way to the opposing box which would either finish with a chance or with a free kick. Or remember his man-marking job on Bale when he had manager to tackle him despite starting the episode behind him? He had looked truly exceptional then (about a decade ago? 
). Oh, well!
). Oh, well!Exceptionally dreadful.
Poor players in elite games get injured these days. It's almost inhumane like putting an amateur boxer in the ring with a champ. Someone's gonna get hurt.
With him i think about what could have been.'
Remember when he first got here he was touted as the reincarnation of Duncan Ferguson, so it was obvious there was something about him. Shame his career has been ravaged by injuries
Remember when he first got here he was touted as the reincarnation of Duncan Ferguson, so it was obvious there was something about him. Shame his career has been ravaged by injuries
He's generally been ok for us. Very fast, strong, actually enjoys defending. Bailly for example makes about 5 times as many stupid unforced mistakes but gets a pass due to being a more stylish player.
But Jones is only fit for a handful of games a season now and his confidence has been drained away to nothing over the years. He's little more than a punchline these days. Hopefully he can get fit, get a move and rebuild his career. He seems like an honest pro who tries his best.
But Jones is only fit for a handful of games a season now and his confidence has been drained away to nothing over the years. He's little more than a punchline these days. Hopefully he can get fit, get a move and rebuild his career. He seems like an honest pro who tries his best.
Because Giroud caught it by surprise and missed controlled the opportunity.
It's stupid, but it was brilliant at the same time.
He had Ronaldo and peak Bale in his pocket for succession of games once. That and his first season at United were his high points of career.
I still remember he was being compared to Duncan Edwards when he first joined us. He is the new Duncan Edwards back then, could you believe that?
I think this is more or less spot on. I remember that interview too. That was a signal to me at that point of how things will turn out. He is quite an all rounded jack of all trades in his attributes as a defender and showed quite a lot of potential when he was younger. When he has a run of games, he can get really, really good. I've seen how good he can be in some matches. BUT he has been injury prone and does make mistakes due to his "blood and thunder" style. This eventually became too big an albatross around his neck for him to bear.
For me, he has been a loyal servant of the club so I won't talk too badly of him. All I can say is, his injuries have ruined him and Ole no longer trusts him enough to give him a run of games. If that is the case, then maybe it's time to go. All I can hope for is that Ed/Matt will finally accept the situation and facilitate a transfer for him at a more acceptable price. At this moment, judging from the Smalling transfer, it seems like they still refuse to back down. They would rather have a total loss than to cut their losses and move on. I'd guess this is to the detriment of both the club and the player.
I am thinking of starting a thread titled;
Di Maria is our bravest ever player
Is it worth it?
Di Maria is our bravest ever player
Is it worth it?
This is true. There was a period early in his Uñited career when he was excellent. Alas, he has deteriorated with time.
Yep and if he leaves and goes to a West Brom or a Fulham, and he can get some luck with injuries and get a few games under his belt, he will be fantastic.
I like the way the background music is lifting this up just like a highlight video of a south american 16 year old before signing for Real Madrid or Barcelona